Overlord Saga: War of the Gauntlets
by Winter Feline
Summary: As an old gauntlet is once more worn in battle a gate to another world is opened, swallowing two young men and binding them to a lethal duel for the power of the True Overlord. Each must establish his own Dark Domain and a war between Domination and Destruction is about to begin. In the end only one can survive. AU, rated M for later chapters, potential (?) OCxHarem, lemon/lime (?)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I do not own Overlord series, I only own my original characters and designs.

Chapter 01:

"Careful with that, these artefacts are priceless," the old man warned his young companion while climbing the stairs. The young man simply sighed heavily, for at least the twentieth time since they had began.

"I thought you wanted just a little help, this is going to take all afternoon," Thomas said in a tired tone of voice. He had come to visit his uncle after receiving an invitation for this weekend, promising free time to enjoy the beach and some pocket money for a few simple chores. He had thought it would be over in half an hour or so, but they had already spent close to an hour carrying these boxes.

"I didn't expect them all to arrive at once, what can I say, I'm sure glad you are here to help," the old man replied mirthfully. Thomas drew another deep breath and sighed once more, nodding his head in defeat. He had already agreed to help carry them all in, but he hoped it would soon be over. There were only a few more boxes in the back of the truck, but some of them might be too heavy even for the two of them.

Entering his uncle's private study, Thomas lowered his end of the large box down while the spry old man set his own down a little after Thomas. Wiping his brow with his shirt's sleeve, the young man couldn't help but wonder if he was really that badly out of shape. He hadn't ever thought about it that much but his uncle was pushing sixty and moved the boxes without breaking a sweat while Thomas felt like taking a long hot shower already.

"Its just a couple more, come on," the old man chuckled while gesturing for Thomas to follow him to get the next one. With a groan leaving his lips, the young man did, deciding to just get it over with.

It took them just twenty minutes more, but in that time, he felt he had worn himself out. His body ached in protest, reminding him that he had not worked out like that in a while. Thomas anticipated that the next morning he would wake up feeling even worse, but if the chores he had to do were like this he would be in a lot better shape by the end of this vacation, or he might be in a hospital with a broken back.

Gulping down some water as he listened to the sound of the truck leaving the frontyard the young man's attention turned from the glass he was holding and the noise outside towards the gathering of large wooden crates and boxes that his uncle's priceless artefacts had arrived in. Most of it was just plain garbage in his opinion, but he had given up trying to convince the old man of that. The guy had enough money to buy this without worrying about the price anyway, so Thomas wasn't too concerned.

After all that work he did feel like he deserved a peek of what his uncle had acquired this time however, and seeing the familiar tool leaning to a wall nearby, he walked over to pick up the crowbar. Casting a look at the various boxes he felt one of them seemed to draw his interest over and over again. A fairly small box that had nonetheless been quite heavy. Unlike the others it was resting on his uncle's desk and not in a pile at the other end of the room, so he figured it would be the jewel of this collection.

"Alright, lets see what you are hiding," Thomas told the box with a joking tone of voice, trying to shake off his nervousness. He wasn't usually this interested in his uncle's collection, but today he felt he had earned the right to this much curiosity. The wood creaked as the old nails were pulled loose, and the lid gave in. Lifting it off, he saw a metal gauntlet resting amidst packaging materials, a dark gemstone embedded in the middle of it.

His curiosity got the best of him, and Thomas lifted the gauntlet with care, looking it over amusedly. It was well made steel and quite thick, looking like it wouldn't break easily. The gemstone was firmly secured in place, though some little lines ran along the metal circle it was embedded into. Lifting the gauntlet for a moment, he decided to try it on for a moment.

The weight felt surprisingly light when he was wearing it, but at the same time, the gauntlet gave him a feeling of power. It was silly, he was nineteen already and beyond the age of playing like a kid, but he couldn't help but feel a little amused in wearing the sturdy piece of work. Even if it was a little odd, it seemed like an interesting find for his uncle's collection at least. Far better than some of the junk.

Looking at the gauntlet for a moment more Thomas then decided that the shower was long overdue. Humming to himself as he headed along the hallway, he paused to pick up a change of clothes and his towel from his bag before making his way to the bathroom. A little hot water and scrubbing and he'd feel good as new, or so he hoped at least.

As the shower door was closed and the sound of running water soon began a brief, nearly silent click sounded out as the front door of the house slowly opened. Gloved hand closed the door behind it, and the soft-bottomed shoes quietly made their way along the hallway. The steps were hurried but careful, though they relaxed a little at the sound of the shower running.

Looking around, the figure checked a few doorways before finding the study and the gathering of boxes. There wasn't too much time, and the intruder knew it. Looking around for the list he soon noticed it resting on one of the larger crates, searching the rows for what he had come for. Frowning as he flipped over a few pages in irritation the intruder sought what he wanted, nervous and hurried.

_Box 49: Gauntlet of the Dark Tyrant. Excellent shape, restored with care. Previous owner deceased collector, sold by next of kin._ Sighing with relief, the figure picked up the crowbar convieniently placed to rest against the nearby wall. The new owner had no doubt planned to start unpacking soon. The intruder smirked quietly at his luck, and turned to look for the box.

Just then the barking started, and the intruder turned in alarm to look at the study's doorway. A large grey mutt was staring at him and barking widely. So much for being lucky. Picking up the crowbar he glared at the mutt moving closer and holding the tool with confidence.

"Too bad for you. Come here you mangy mutt, I'm going to bash your brains in," the intruder said with a smile on his face and a gentle tone to his voice, figuring the mutt couldn't understand him anyway. Walking closer he held the tool up to strike, when the dog jumped and bit on his wrist, the teeth sinking into the glove and his arm painfully. Grimacing, the man shifted the crowbar to his other hand to strike, and strike again on the mutt to get it to let go.

"Hold it," another voice shouted, and the intruder grimaced looking at the doorway. The brat that had helped the old man move these things in was standing there wearing just a towel but holding a cellphone to his ear with the other hand. This wasn't good, not good at all. He'd have to dispose of the witness quickly.

"Its a burglar uncle, and he's hitting Baron," Thomas spoke to the cellphone hurriedly. He had called his uncle first on hearing some noise, but he had a grim feeling he should have called the cops. He had wanted to make sure it wasn't just the old dog barking at a squirrel though, but calling his uncle seemed like the best idea because the dog didn't listen to his voice, only his uncle's. Of course, he had not expected to come face to face with some gaunt man with the looks of a drug-addict.

"Call the police, I'm-" Thomas' eyes widened as the man struck the poor Baron's head with the crowbar hard enough to make the dog whimper and collapse, then charging right at him. Taking a couple of steps back he slammed the door shut, hearing the crowbar hitting the door with force. Not good, not good at all.

His uncle would make a call as the owner of the place, but that didn't mean he couldn't call as well and try and give the police a description. As he got to a run to the guest room he briefly wondered if that door had a lock. The study did, but unfortunately it would require a key to lock it as well. At the very least it had his clothes, and he had dropped the gauntlet there too before heading to the shower, having only realized he had taken it with him when he had reached the bedroom, so familiar it had already become on his arm.

Meanwhile the intruder glared at the now quiet dog's body before hurriedly turning his attention to the boxes. There were many, and there was so little time. He had to go after the brat but if he didn't grab the box he might have to run away without it even after dealing with the witness and after that it would be hard to return for it. Looking around frantically, he finally saw the box.

The damn thing was opened, its lid dropped to a chair behind the desk, the box itself dropped behind a pair of thick books that had kept it from his notice earlier. Someone had opened that box already, and he only needed one good guess as to who. Damn it all, this wasn't going as he had expected at all.

Pushing the door open the intruder rushed out following the wet footsteps on the floor easily enough for a moment, but as they faded there was only one closed, locked door in the hallway. Still holding the bloody crowbar, he hit the door with force. The decorative panelwood door cracked and the crowbar's tip pierced through. Hitting the door repeatedly, the intruder hacked a hole into it before reaching through to unlock the door.

The brat punched his arm with force, and that made him cry out in pain. Not because the brat was really that strong, but because the punch was delivered by a metal gauntlet. He was pretty sure there would be a serious bruise but he didn't think his arm was broken at least, moving the fingers quickly to unlock the door before shoving it wide open. Glaring at the brat with his crowbar held ready he grit his teeth together.

"Hand over the gauntlet boy and I won't kill you," he promised swiftly. He had to get out of here and after he had the gauntlet, it wouldn't matter even if the police got his description. He would be long gone. Though just for the sake of paying back for the trouble he had caused the intruder decided he'd bash the boy's brains in as well.

"The police is on its way, do you want to go to jail for breaking and entering or do you want to try and make it murder? Either way you aren't getting away, be smart and give up," Thomas tried to argue. While the young man wasn't hopeful this man would listen, he had to try, but if he was a drug addict he had to be ready. The gauntlet just might be enough to keep the man at bay with that crowbar, but if he handed it over he was as good as dead, he could tell that much just by looking at the crazed man's expression.

"I won't ask again, enjoy the pain," the man shouted and swung the crowbar at Thomas' face. His arm rose to block it, and the crowbar struck the gauntlet with a resounding clang. The black jewel within it began to suddenly shine, enveloping the two of them into a bright searing light. Thomas' cellphone fell as he screamed, but he heard the other man's voice rise in a scream as well. The impact had hurt his arm but what chilled him more was the feeling of his entire body trembling as if he had been electrocuted and set on fire, before it was replaced by a chill similar to being lowered to ice water.

Not that he knew how any of those felt like, they just felt the closest he could imagine to how it was at that moment. His whole body ached and protested, and he couldn't see anything anymore. He didn't hear anything either, other than his own trembling breath. As his mind tried to catch up with what had happened, Thomas could only come to one conclusion.

_He must have hit me in the head. I have a concussion and I am hallucinating. There's no other explanation. Uncle, come home soon, I don't want to die. _Thomas shivered and the exhaustion hit him like a tidalwave. The heavy lifting combined with the adrenaline rush fuelled fight left him too tired to hold himself standing for long anymore now that the action had come to an end, and he felt the darkness envelope him, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

OxOxO The Next Morning OxOxO

"_...enjoy the pain!"_

Thomas woke up with a gasp, sitting up and panting unevenly. He had been resting on a stone floor in some sort of ruin, he noticed while looking around. His head still hurt, but it was passing, and looking at his hand he saw the metal gauntlet was still there. The jewel was black as it had been when he took it out of the box, not shining brightly as it had been before he collapsed.

Trying to stand up Thomas looked around himself in confusion. He wasn't in his uncle's home anymore that much was obvious, but he didn't think there were any ruins like this near his uncle's place either. What's more, the weather had been somewhat clouded but it had still been hot outside in the afternoon, but he felt a definite chill right now. There was an open doorway nearby that the chill wind seemed to be coming from.

Walking over to the doorway, Thomas looked outside only to have his eyes widen in surprise. He was looking at a castle courtyard of some sort, and right ahead was a large gatehouse. He had seen enough movies and television series to recognise a medieval setting of sorts, but the place looked like it was real, though in a rather bad shape. Large section of a wall was broken open and the towers at the ends of the wall looked like they had both suffered a partial collapse. The gatehouse' doors were blocked by a large pile of rubble too, though with the holes in the wall he should be able to leave the courtyard.

Thing was he was fairly sure he wasn't anywhere near his uncle's home, or probably in the same country at all. There was some mist lingering on the ground, and he could see the sunlight in the distance beyond the wall. It was still early, he thought to himself briefly. Somewhere during the last night he had been moved to this place. How, he wasn't sure, but he had a feeling it had to do with the murdering thief and that bright light too, perhaps. At least he was still alive and there were no signs of that thug.

"_Greetings, sire. I trust you have rested well? There are nefarious deeds to be done, and evil deeds don't do themselves." _The sudden voice broke him out of his thoughts and he looked around in confusion trying to find its source. Seeing as he was standing alone on the courtyard he turned to look up at the walls and then back at the castle doorway.

"_Sire?" _The voice spoke again but Thomas was having a hard time figuring out where it came from. It was not too loud but he could have sworn it was like someone spoke to him right besides him yet he saw nobody. He had a bit of a chill again, hoping this place wasn't haunted. Normally he wouldn't consider that possible, but with the recent events he wasn't sure of anything.

"_Alright, its obvious you are confused by the looks of you. Allow me to explain. The gauntlet you are wearing is a symbol of office for an Overlord, and now that it has accepted you as its master I am here to guide you in establishing your dark domain. I am your advisor, and a humble servant of darkness."_

The thought of a talking gauntlet seemed crazy even for him but some of the words were familiar. Overlord, a dark domain, and the phrase servant of darkness had all become familiar to him in the past. That's why the gauntlet looked kind of familiar and so cool in his eyes. That was a game he had played in the past. It had to be part of his hallucinations, he decided briefly. Though it seemed odd, everything seemed far too real.

"_The conflict you were in left you and the gauntlet somewhat drained, but the haziness will pass and your muscles will become limber again, very soon. Without a dark tower to focus its energies to you the recovery will depend on you, but the gauntlet has brought you to a suitable location to establish your bastion of evil in. No doubt your challenger will likewise be preparing so I would urge you to-"_

"Wait a second, my challenger?" Thomas frowned. There was only one guy that came to mind right now. Oh damn it, he had at least hoped not having to see that bastard again. The gaunt fellow had seemed like a psychopath and more than a little screwed up in the head. Then again he was talking to a gauntlet and hearing voices in his head, so who was he to call someone that?

"_Yes, the one that sought to steal the gauntlet away from you. I believe he was better informed of the powers resting within the gauntlet. Until such a time that one of you has fallen, you are bound here and will have to seek each other out. Only then will the gauntlet have its full power once more."_

"You mean that if I want to get home, I have to get the gauntlet's full power back, meaning I have to kill the other guy?" Thomas felt a chill down his spine. He could fight in self-defense but he was no murderer, but he wasn't going to let himself be killed either. This was crazy, all he had wanted was to enjoy his vacation at his uncle's place doing small chores and relaxing on the beach looking at girls.

"_You need to get the full power of the gauntlet to travel between worlds, but whether you want to go back home when you do gain that power or if you want to remain here will be up to you, master. Until then, I would advise you to gather your strength and find out more about your surroundings. You will also need to gather some lifeforce before you can begin shaping your minions."_

He would need minions if he was going to take this seriously. He would have to kill creatures and drain that lifeforce, whatever it was, with his gauntlet. Then he would be able to summon some to do his bidding as well as protect him. He would have to do that to not be killed himself, but it would take a while to get used to the idea of killing, even if he would try and limit himself to only killing animals for their lifeforce.

Of course, he wasn't sure if he would be able to keep it at that. At least if it came down to self-defense he would have to be ready to kill so he would not be killed. Playing a game had been amusing and there had been no real risk to him, and nobody really got harmed, but he had a feeling in his guts that this time, people would be hurt and he would have to live with it. At least he could try and make sure nobody died needlessly, and if he had to establish a dark domain, he could establish it on dominance rather than destruction. He was rather certain that the psychopath he had now been pitted against would only leave blood and ashes behind him.

"Alright, I am still not sure about all of this but standing around here will not help me get anywhere. I'll have a look around at the surroundings," Thomas said seriously and made up his mind.

OOO OOO OOO OOO

I have 2 other stories to write on but I've had some thoughts on Dungeon Keeper and Overlord for a long time already, and the wild ideas kept me from being able to focus on the already established stories. So I begin a yet another, though I hope in doing so I will remove the writer's block keeping me from continuing the others so that I may write more to them as well now.

This story will follow the Thomas who has ended up in a world where he is one of the two Overlords who each hold a share of the powers of the gauntlet, which too has now split into two identical copies, each cluthing one man's arm as they are forced on a path against one another. Domination versus Destruction.

Thomas is hardly a scary name for an Overlord, he'll have to come up with something else to call himself in these lands, unless he plans to simply go by the title of Overlord, but even that would be confusing later on as there are indeed two Overlords on the move now.

Please leave a review with your thoughts, I appreciate any and all feedback to improve my writing further.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I do not own Overlord series, I only own my original characters and designs.

Chapter 02

Thomas was walking down the hillside while his feet ached. The rocky ground wasn't making the descent easy, and the path seemed to twist and turn to avoid quick drops over a cliffside. It would have been an exaggeration to say the castle he had appeared in was resting on a mountain, but the hill it rested on made sure that when the towers would be back in shape they would have a good look at their surroundings. Unfortunately it also made the place stick out from the distance.

Walking down the hillside he could see the rolling terrain to the distance, the eastern lands evening out somewhat to plains in the distance, a bit of woods visible in the distance as well. The few hills between the plains and his castle's hill seemed a little less hostile, with green grass along them, and occasional trees, where as the one the castle rested upon had a more rocky ground, and harsh drops here and there. He saw some grass along the way, but not a single tree grew anywhere close at least, not on the eastern side of the hill.

Tired, hungry and feeling the weight of the gauntlet around his left arm, Thomas walked along until the path finally reached the base of the hill. The path he had followed continued on for a little way until it split into two new paths near the side of another hill, a worn signpost standing there. The road seemed to lead from the south to curve somewhat to the north-east in the distance, at least as far as he could see from the hills. Seeing as the signpost was his first clue to his whereabouts he moved to take a look at it then.

"Castle Highwatch, Town of Riverwood, and Town of Havenport." Reading the signs pointing west, north-east and south in that order, he hummed slightly to himself and crossed his arms. The south had a port, so it was reasonable to suspect that there was a shoreline there, perhaps even an ocean, but perhaps just a large enough river to make trade worthwhile. Riverwood sounded a bit more rural, but he wasn't sure if he was estimating things correctly.

"Odd names though, nothing familiar about them. At least they're in good old English." He smirked to himself while shrugging, then rummaging his pocket. His wallet was gone, as was his cellphone. Great, no wallet meant no money, and though he didn't expect his money had any value here he might have flipped a coin to decide which way to go. He had that little information to go by so far that either seemed like a good option.

Thinking it over for a moment Thomas finally looked at the signs again to try and see if there was any indication of how far the places were, but seeing nothing that even lightly hinted at the distance he finally drew a deep breath and sighed, starting to walk north-east. He hadn't seen a shoreline to the south, so he had a feeling the walk to the Havenport might take a while. Perhaps a couple of days even. Riverwood might just be a little closer, or so he hoped at least.

The path tried to follow a bit shaded area, with some trees along the hills giving some shelter to the old sand road, the wagonwheels having left some tracks in it along time it seemed, but it at least seemed like it had seen a fair share of use. Following the path for a while, Thomas cast a brief look at his clothes. A black t-shirt and black jeans, white socks and black sneakers were definitely a bad choice for extended walks in the sun. The metal bracer at least didn't seem to heat up despite the sunlight, holding to his arm firmly.

"Well well boys, what do we have here? I would say its a client!" There was a short laugh as a slim man walked onto the road from behind a few trees further ahead, aiming a crossbow directly at his stomach. "Yeah, you better pay the toll on this road or we might have to rough you up you know?" As the second voice spoke up, Thomas blinked twice finding himself looking at a crook-nosed fellow that looked a whole head shorter than the first guy. He had an axe in his hand though and Thomas wasn't sure he wanted to know if the spots on it were from rust or blood.

"Uhuh, you ain't going nowhere now, unless you pay first!" The third voice behind him belonged to a fat guy who looked like he ate enough for two, or three people. The three of them all wore some blue uniform of sorts, but it looked dirty and stained, far from a respectable outfit it might have once been. Runaway soldiers or something, he briefly wondered, but he didn't see any sort of armor on them.

"I hate to disappoint you all but I'm not exactly wealthy. I actually don't have a single coin on me." Smiling a little as he said this despite feeling nervous, Thomas kept watch at them. The fat guy didn't have a weapon and he was pretty sure he could get past him without too much trouble to flee the way he came, but he wasn't sure he could dodge the bolt before that anyway.

"Oh, what a shame. How about you undress and leave us your weird clothes then, traveller? Maybe we will spare your life then, heheh hehhee." The short guy laughed with a nasal voice that made Thomas grit his teeth together. These guys were irritating, and he definitely didn't want to lose his clothes, he had little enough to begin with.

"_Sire, the moment you took the gauntlet your body began to change for one more suitable for an Overlord. Without an impressive armor and the time for your body to adapt yet however it would be wisest to resolve this by the use of magic. This gauntlet contains a spell that might help you out of this situation. Its called Evil Presence."_ The gauntlet's voice spoke to him as he watched the bandits, who seemed to take his silence as fear and snickered to one another, the slim guy waving the crossbow slightly. "Hurry up and get it off then!"

Thomas tried to calm his breathing slightly and reached to touch his gauntlet, the gemstone in it suddenly flashing bright light that caused the bandits to cover their eyes. The whistling sound of a bolt flying forth alarmed him but the next instant it stuck the ground before him, the bandit's aim lost when he was blinded. The crackle of lightning covered his right hand now, flowing along his left towards his shoulder to then appear in his right hand. Gesturing at the axe-holding short guy first, he focused his will into it.

"Uwaaah!" The bandit shrieked, shaking his head trying to turn to run, but just like that, Thomas could feel the continued lightning start to break through the wall of his mind, and slip within forcefully. It was so _easy _it actually _frightened him_. The bandit kneeled fearfully, still holding his axe. Thomas lifted the gesture then turning to point at the slim man that was rubbing his eyes, the magic flowing forth again like a stream of lightning, assaulting the man's body and causing him to see another mental wall, this one sturdier than the last, only to see cracks already forming, before the spell broke through. Another one down.

"You some sorta mage-thing!" The fat guy bellowed angrily, and Thomas felt his left arm grasped by the guy before he got kicked in the back with force. For a fat guy he was strong, and damn fast. Thomas felt his body complaining, but watched in surprise as the two 'converted' thugs charged their fat friend who looked confused more than anything, allowing Thomas a chance to pull free again.

"Don't kill him just hold him!" He shouted to the other two, then focusing his lightning once more. This mind was ridiculously weak, it was like he had first fought to break through a rotten wood wall and then a proper wood wall with a battering ram, and was suddenly sent to use the same force against a bale of hay. He had to stop short quickly just not to fry the simple guy's mind.

All three bandits looked at him with a vacant, dizzy expression, making Thomas wonder about things. He wasn't really eager to use some simple thugs as his henchmen, he wanted true minions. Still, these guys were bandits, so perhaps there was something they would be good for. "Show me to your camp." He told them grimly, then following along.

The bandits camp was a small cave at a hillside with enough room for a firepit and three bedrolls, as well as a chest that seemed to be stuffed with stolen goods, as well as some lengths of rope. Making up his mind, Thomas finally nod and gestured at the fat guy. "You, lift the chest along, and you two, turn your backs to me and present me with your wrists." With swift pace, Thomas tied the two guys hands behind their backs, using the axe to chop the rope for these bindings. Satisfied, Thomas then gestured them to follow as he headed on towards Riverwood.

It took another hour for them to finally reach the town. The hilly terrain fell behind and they reached plains, only to see the woods to the east bordering a town, a small river between the forest's edge and the town's easternmost border, the road seeming to lead curving north past the town, but with a path forking from it to lead to the town itself. With a nod of his head, Thomas walked the three bandits to the town's gates, looking at the wooden palisade built to protect the place.

"Hey you there! What's your business here, and what are you doing marching folks ahead in bindings like that!?" One of the guards shouted from atop the watchtower next to the gates. "Hey, don't those three look like the bandits that the merchants have been complaining about?" This caused the first guy to do a double-take. "Hey, you're right! They do, they do look like those bandits we got complaints about! Alright the lot of you, you are all under arrest!"

Thomas wanted to slap himself on the face on account of the idiotic behaviour the two guards in the watchtower were showing, but decided to shout back in turn. "I captured these three and brought them here to face justice, now open the gates so I can hand them over to your boss!" His voice was more than a little aggravated, but he watched the guards warily.

"What do you think huh?" The first guard asked looking at the second who shrugged. "I don't think he looks strong enough, but the three of them are following him like little mousies. Maybe he did. You know, I don't get paid enough to care. Just let them in but lets watch them!" The first guy nodded and grinned. "Oh alright that sounds smart!"

Thomas really, really hoped these two were the local town idiots that were put on the wall just because it was the place they could do the least harm, and might end up killed if something actually dangerous ever happened to come by. If the rest of the folks were as 'smart' as those folks then he would have a royal headache trying to get things set up anytime soon.

"Open the gates!" The two shouted, and a moment later the wooden gates began to creak and open a way to the town, showing two-story wooden buildings, with cobblestones on the road inside the place instead of just sand. The place looked a bit dirty but not that bad, and a few signs along the road marked different businesses set up in this place.

As Thomas marched the three bandits in he looked around for a captain of the guard, soon enough spotting a somewhat taller man in a finely polished metal armor approaching, a breastplate that seemed finely made, and a fine longsword at his side too. Thomas felt fairly confident this man was either the one in charge of the guard or at least this group of guards.

"Well now, this is a pleasant surprise. Well done young man, I don't know who you are but we have been looking for these three." The man nod his head casting a look at the three, as Thomas gestured for the fat fellow to step ahead and lay down the chest. "They are all yours then, I am going to assume there is some sort of reward for their capture, and the return of at least some of the stolen goods." He had considered taking what the bandits chest had for himself, but what lay inside was mostly goods that he couldn't even begin to guess what their right price would be, and a bit of honesty might get him a good reward and a good impression here.

"Indeed, I can give you fifty gold per man, and I am sure I can squeeze the merchants to pay you for their returned goods, and what isn't claimed is yours to keep or sell." He nod his head seriously, before waving the guards that had pulled the gates open to move in and begin to escort the two bound prisoners away, before moving to shackle the fat guy himself.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you manage to take them along like this?" The man asked curiously, to which Thomas simply smiled. "I have my ways." He had talked with the gauntlet before, on the way, and made sure that unless he willed it the evil presence was a temporary effect on these thugs. Once it wore out they'd have a killer headache but nothing worse. It'd take almost a day though, and when it did, they'd probably be confused as hell why they had ended up in jail in that time.

"Right, guess you're an adventurer? Perhaps some sort of a mage? Or one of them desert fight-dancers?" The man in armor continued to guess, but Thomas didn't feel annoyed by that. If anything it told him that magic wasn't entirely unheard of in this place, and adventuring folks were around. Good thing to know, he might have to deal with some in time as well.

"Are adventurers and mages a common occurence then?" Thomas asked in a chuckling manner, earning a sigh from the armored man. "There's a fair bit of heroes but most of them are selfish bastards these days that don't care for the little people too much. There's exceptions but not many. As for mages, eh I've heard that there are folks that can use magic but I haven't met any." He shrugged and smiled at Thomas again. "Right, come with me then and we'll get you that reward." He shouted one last command for one of the guys from the watchtower to come down to sit on the chest and not dare to get up before he'd be back.

Easier than getting the guy to understand nobody was allowed to ransack through the chest before they returned, no doubt. Less fear of some silver-tongued fellow fast-talking his way into getting to open the chest just for a look inside, too. Feeling that the day was turning a little better, Thomas walked with the guard captain for a little while, until they arrived to a small stone keep in the town that seemed to serve as the headquarters for the guard, and based on the way two more fellows took the fat-guy downstairs through a narrow corridor, quite an achievement he noted quietly, the dungeons also rested beneath it.

"Fifty, hundred, and a hundred and fifty gold." The guard captain counted him the payment he had been promised, smiling proudly and nodding his head to Thomas as the young man took up the three coin pouches. Standing still a moment Thomas wondered how to go about things, the pouches were a bit too big to push into his pants pockets comfortably, and he didn't have a backpack to stash them into. Just then the gauntlet gave a small shine.

"_If you wish to store gold, you can bring it before the gauntlet's light and it will be immediately added to your castle's vault. You can likewise retrieve gold by thinking of the amount while holding your hand over the gemstone. Its quiet a handy function, and means you wont have to carry any of it with you."_ Thomas would admit that actually was handy. Moving the pouches one at a time before the shining light he watched them disappear, earning a quite curious look from the guard captain. He had neither denied or claimed to be a mage so far, but this little stunt probably convinced the guard he actually was one.

"Ohhoo! I knew you were something special lad." The guard captain nod his head confidently and smiling proudly. "You know, I will shake the merchants to get the gold for the goods you brought back, but it may take a bit. You should relax at our tavern freely in the meanwhile, or if that isn't to your tastes, we've been having a bit of a _wolf_ problem recently. Its been attacking the homesteads a bit further north. If you head that way, they have put together a reward of fifty gold for whoever can either kill the wolves or drive them away."

Capturing the bandits had gotten him a fair reward already Thomas had a feeling he would need a whole lot more in time. Sitting down in a tavern for a little while to eat and drink before he set off didn't seem like a bad idea, but he was also interested in the wolf problem. Particularily because he still hadn't received any life-force, and he needed some to shape his minions. Perhaps wolves would do, though he might need to get an actual weapon besides his magic for that.

"_Wolves are fierce warriors and fight well in a pack. Minions born from such life-force could inherit some of it, though it will be up to Sire's shaping jus what traits they may pick." _Thomas briefly wondered about the original minions he had witnessed in the games, and then briefly let his mind wonder if he would be able to shape them in a way he chose or if they'd be short gremlin-like beasts nevertheless. Something he would have to ask later. The thought of more human-like minions appealed to him, but with some obvious wild traits might be good. Perhaps some form of 'werewolf' minions to serve as his fighters? They could look rather intimidating and working together well in a pack sounded like a bonus too.

"I think I'll take your advice and visit the tavern for a short while first, but then I'll head north to see about those homesteads. I'll return later for the rest of the reward, so please keep that safe for me alright?" He smiled, bowing his head to the guard captain politely and then getting up. "Of course, its good to see a hero with a good heart for a chance." The man shook his hand firmly, seeming to mean it too. Which made Thomas feel a little constriction around his own heart actually. He was far from Good, he was going to have to be evil, and take over this place eventually, to dominate it and rule over these people. Then again, in doing so he would protect them against any threats that might try and prey on them.

"Thanks." He managed to say only that, smiling a little before bowing his head and heading out. He wanted to get some distance between himself and any people before he'd voice any questions on his mind to the gauntlet, making his way towards the tavern as he had said before. The music playing inside caught his attention for a moment, a swift violin playing on the stage, plaid by a slender fellow with dagger-like ears and a green vest on him, a bow and a quarrel of arrows resting against the stage wall as the fellow played.

Medieval world, check, and fantasy realm with magic and elves, check. Humming to himself briefly as he stepped inside Thomas cast a look at the folks dancing and clapping. They seemed to be enjoying the fast theme and dancing in a pattern that to him actually seemed kind of nice. It felt like it brought some unity to the place, and despite a bit of dirty looks the place didn't seem so unhappy after all when he heard the music play while making his way to the bar.

"Hey, can I get a glass of ale and the latest rumors?" Thomas smiled with a friendly expression while taking a seat at the end of the bar. The fellow behind the counter cast him a look and scoffed slightly, smirking. "Aren't you a tad young to be drinking that lass? You need some hair on your chin and your chest you know. I can pour you some cider if you like but you need some hair before you touch beer." The man seemed to be joking though, not overly concerned.

"Ohh I have plenty of hair where it counts, and I said an ale not cider, I need to relax a bit after being on the road." The bartender let out a short laugh but nod his head, pouring a full mug of ale from the keg behind the counter before smirking and setting it down. "There you go then sonny. One cold ale, just a crown."

Thomas brushed his fingers on the gemstone on his gauntlet thinking one, and as a coin slipped to his fingers he handed it to the bartender who looked at him a little curious but after biting the coin once to make sure it was good he grinned and nod. "Alright, let me know if you want more." He headed to fill another patron's mug as Thomas took his first sips from the mug, and immediately felt a tremor run through him.

He had drank some domestic and imported beer in the past, his parents had been pretty cool about it as long as he drank with responsible adult that made sure he never got more than a taste. It worked though, he had never had the need to try and sneak around to get beer with his buddies and get wasted. Still, none of it had prepared him to this, the medieval beer had quiet a kick to it.

There was a bit of laughter around him as the folks saw him quickly swallow, but none of it seemed overly mocking, mostly amused. "Whoa, this town has good beer!" Thomas bellowed earning a new round of laughter as he gulped on his mug, a few people cheering on the stranger's praise. Smirking to himself he tried to limit himself to slower sips, enjoying the frosty drink for a bit, while looking around.

The music paused and the elf lad seemed to gather his bow and arrows to return towards the bar with a hat holding some coins. "Here's for the tab, and a bit more if you can find another bottle for me?" The elf's smile was met with a hearty laugh. "You sir are an elf that could outdrink a dwarf!" There was a new collective roar of laughter going on, and Thomas began to feel his wittiness earlier wasn't really that good, these folks were just that drunk they would laugh for any reason that tickled their fancy a little bit.

"Eh well, I gotta enjoy life when I can, because tomorrow I might die." The elf grinned and continued. "I think I might take up the wolf-hunting job actually, I could use the coin and I think a little practice with my bow would do me good too." This caught Thomas' interest.

He wanted the same reward, but it was a bit secondary compared to the life-force. Besides, if the elf was any good that would lessen the risk to Thomas notably. Of course, it also meant that Thomas would have to get the elf to agree to share the reward, or perhaps mask it with a wager that whoever killed more got the reward. Even if he failed, he'd still get a fair bit of life-force, he thought to himself while sipping on his drink, thinking things through.

OOOO OOOO OOOO OOOO

Alright, this tale feels like it can become fairly interesting, I'm still a bit on the fence on a few issues though. I am considering whether or not involve a OCxHarem situation in this, I've seen a lot of -bad- harem fics in the past but again I enjoy the good ones from time to time. Even if I recognise a lot of them are simple wish-fullfillment works. As for the lemon-lime matter, I figure this is not going to end up a lemon at least, I might bring up adult themes and write some lime.

Beyond those, Thomas' minions, and his "Overlord Name" are still a bit on the open, and so far his actions don't really seem all that evil perhaps, but who knows when time advances where he and his behaviour will drift off to?

Regardless, this has been a fun chapter to write and I'm glad that people have reviewed this tale a bit on just its first chapter. Its always encouraging me to write more.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I do not own Overlord series, I only own my original characters and designs.

Chapter 03

Thomas spent a little while in the tavern, watching the locals and listening in. There wasn't that much interesting tales to be heard though, and the only one that seemed to be talking of things that he might care about was the elven bard. Yet the fellow's arrogant boasts had began to make Thomas reconsider the idea of going out hunting the wolves as a team. Although he could use the company, it seemed to Thomas that the elf would be a glory-hog and possibly rather whiny about the gold too.

The idea of strangling the elf after a particularily irritating boast actually made Thomas gulp down what was left of his drink and storm out. He had considered getting a room to rest in for the remainder of the day, but he wasn't eager to stay where the elf was. So, he instead made his way to the smithy, looking around at the tools laid out in the open and the large, tall man that had to be the smith himself.

"I've got best weapons and armor in the area, you looking to buy something?" The man spoke proudly, looking at Thomas a bit curiously. He wasn't dressed in the same was as the locals, so maybe it wasn't that hard to tell he was a wanderer. Thomas nod his head calmly, stepping forth to look around, the man gesturing him to follow along to a door to what seemed to be a store-room,with several weapons at ready.

"The locals mostly need some tools but you don't really look like the settling type. Well, if you need something to protect yourself on the roads I got it. Blades, Axes, even a couple of more exotic things. Couple of good maces in here, and some pieces of armor." This was good news, Thomas thought to himself, though he also considered the fact an Overlord should have a suit of armor made by the minions not some local smith, but without his minions he had to make a deal for the time being at least.

"I was looking for a good blade that won't break if handled roughly, I may have to fight a lot in the future and I think buying a quality weapon from the start rather than continuing to buy replacements for cheaper ones that would keep breaking apart would be a good idea." His calm tone and words earned an appreciative nod from the smith, who walked past the gaudy display swords that would've looked good in a hero's hands but would be rubbish for a real warrior. Instead, he was lead before a display of several fine steel and iron swords, organised by their length and model.

"Here you go, I got a few show-pieces here that I could sell, or if you like one of these models but wanted something a little different I can make a new one in a short while." The smith's calm manner earned a smile from Thomas. The man would be a good fellow to keep around in the future then, perhaps. Looking around the displays, he finally made a decision reaching forth to lift a blade from the shelf.

"Ahh, the bastard sword. You can swing it with one hand if you choose to, but using it with both hands would let you put a lot of force to your swings. Its a bit difficult to master but definitely a sword I would recommend for a warrior." The smith's words were serious, and Thomas nod at them once again before checking a small note attached to the blade's handle by a string.

Fifty gold. That was pricy, but the sword was well made and even if it wasn't enchanted he could tell it would prove useful for the time being. Making up his mind quickly enough, Thomas set the blade down and brought his hand before the gauntlet. The pouch with fifty gold coins appeared in an instant, allowing him to pay the smith and lift up the sword once more to leave.

"Wait a second, it does come with a sheath." The smith laughed calmly, bringing up a slender, steel and black leather sheath that was sized perfectly for the sword, earning a smile and an appreciative nod from Thomas who slid the sword to rest within that sheath, then strapping it to his left side.

"I don't have too much gold with me but do you think there might be something I could use for a little while, some armor that would help me out before I can buy a better one?" He inquired seriously, before making another quick decision and continuing. "I can only pay sixty gold anymore though, I need to keep a little in my pocket in case of surprise expenses after all."

Smiling politely the smith nod and moved among the shelves looking around for a bit, before soon returning with a shirt made of small interlocking rings of steel. It looked a bit large for him but quite well made, and while it didn't have long sleeves it had enough to cover the shoulder and the armpit at least, and would reach down to about the height of his belt. "How much is it then?"

"I'm willing to sell it for fifty. I heard you brought in some brigands, so I'm willing to drop that much off the price." The tag on it said '70' so Thomas was feeling grateful for the smith's show of appreciation there. Nodding his head and calling up a second pouch of gold coins, he paid for the shirt before trying it on. As he had estimated, it was a bit too big, but it didn't hinder his movement and it offered some quick protection at least.

"Thank you for your business, I can help resize that for you if you want for a couple of more coins but it'll take me two days, I have a few orders I have to fill first." The smith's words were met with a smile but Thomas shook his head. "I just need a little protection for a while, I might stop by to buy something else, something permanent, later." He grinned and after one more nod of appreciation he headed out, and towards the town's gates.

Riverwood wasn't that bad place really, it had a comfortable tavern, a skilled smith, and from what he had seen a sawmill at the riverside. He made a mental note of trying to conquer the place carefully in the future, if he was to be an Overlord he would have to take the place eventually, but perhaps he might make the locals respect him enough that they wouldn't try rising against him.

As he passed the gates he saw the guards on duty keeping a close eye on the road. He had spent a fair while walking earlier, and his legs were still protesting somewhat, but the rest at the tavern had helped. Being better prepared to face whatever challenges lay ahead also helped him out a fair bit. Thomas had not heard the voice in the gauntlet for a little while, but he wasn't particularily bothered by that for now, there was a fight ahead after all and he appreciated the chance to think about things.

It took him a fair while to walk along the road to reach the farms and the area where the wolves were supposedly wandering. The hills had turned to plains after a while, but the terrain was still far from even, and the road had been curving at several places. Still, he could tell he was close by the sight of bloody grass and the remains of several dead sheep at one of the old fields, the fence surrounding the field having holes big enough for a person to ride through with a horse.

Moving over to the field and looking at the dead sheep seriously Thomas tried to figure out if they were recently killed or if they had been dead for a while. Moving closer he didn't see any flies buzzing around, and there was no strong odor of rot either. Large chunks of meat were gone though, whatever had killed the sheep had torn a good amount of meat from them at least.

He moved his gauntlet over the sheep corpses briefly, seeing no life-force floating around though. It seemed that the sheep either didn't have any in this world, or perhaps they had been dead long enough that the opportunity had been missed to harvest from them. He would have to find out later, but right now he needed to track down those wolves.

"Hello there, stranger!" Friendly voice broke him from his thoughts making him to turn and look at a dirty man in a simple overalls, carrying a pitchfork but smiling widely while looking at him. "Are you here about the wolves? Damn beasts keep killing our livestock. They have a lair just over the hills there, but there's maybe six of them so we haven't dared to go ourselves." The man's expression showed a bit of an apologetic smile, but he then grinned widely again.

"But I am sure a strong lad like yourself will have no trouble, eh? Just come on by my farm with the wolf-heads and we'll see to it that you're rewarded sire." The man's eagerness amused Thomas, and he simply nod his head before heading towards the location he had been given. Six wolves wasn't as bad as he had feared, though the number sounded more like a guess than a known fact. Still, it at least calmed him down somewhat.

"_Master, while your body is changing little by little to be the imposing figure an Overlord should have, you are not yet quite there my lord. I would strongly urge you to fight dirty and use whatever tricks you can when you go into this fight. Once you have your minions by your side things will be a lot easier to accomplish."_

The voice didn't exactly tell him anything new, but grasping the sword tightly as he pulled it free from its sheath Thomas marched ahead wondering just what to expect. He had his spell ready in his left hand, and the sword in his right, ready to act as soon as he would face his first foe. This time he wouldn't be able to talk himself out of trouble, he would need to fight and kill.

Walking over the hill and gazing along the plains, he saw a ridge in the distance with trees growing before it, and a pack of wolves gathered near a small cavern entrance. Grimacing as he looked at them he counted four adult wolves, meaning there might be more somewhere further, possibly inside the cavern. Moving closer, he kept a close eye on them though also listening to his surroundings.

He didn't have to wait long, the wolves got up and growled at noticing him, before the apparent leader, a large gray-furred beast that looked big enough to kill a horse without its pack behind it, let out a howl and began a charge. The other three were quick to move in after it, making Thomas grimace. Past the hills there were few places he could use to form a chokepoint to fight them one or two at a time, so that idea was gone.

Rising his hand as he saw the wolves closing in, he focused his magic to his palm, and glared at the leading wolf. Primal growl arose from his own throat as he thrust the hand forth in a fast shove, a bolt of lightning unleashing with force to slam into the wolf's head, causing a loud yelp and twitching as the wolf collapsed on the ground shocked by the spell. Not enough to kill it though, Thomas noted with annoyance.

The three other wolves didn't lack courage to attack him even without their leader among them, two trying to rush around him no doubt wanting to flank him or attack his back, the last one charging right at him. With a glare at the approaching beast he grasped his sword's hilt, and though he should have been afraid of dying he felt only an urge to teach these creatures their place, the gauntlet's gem glowing slightly.

"Brave but foolish!" He swinged his sword in a sharp, quick slash while then swiftly side-stepping, the slash tearing into the fur and flesh causing a pained howl as the wolf passed him. His body moved with ease, his movement seemed used to fighting as he felt his heartbeat rising, an energy coursing through his form.

The two wolves at his sides charged at him as he raised his left arm to blast one of them with a new bolt of lightning, the sword in his other hand swinged down at the charging wolf's skull, hitting the beast with a force a human should not possess. The cracking of the skull as the blade struck down on it was enough to tell this wolf was out of the fight, even before it slumped to the ground, and the one he gave a facefull of lightning didn't fare any better. Two golden orbs of light shone in the air now, but they would have to wait, the big bad wolf was getting back on its feet and the third of the smaller wolves was coming at him again, this time seeming intent to get its jaws on him.

Thomas thrust his left hand ahead to release a small zap on the wolf's snout when it was closing in, not enough to kill but enough to make it yelp and halt for a second, just enough for him to finish off the wolf with a swift strike down upon its neck. He wasn't about to hesitate with foes that would not hesitate to kill him in turn.

Returning his gaze to the remaining wolf, Thomas had to raise his arm up in defense of his neck, shoving the metal gauntlet between the wolf's fangs as it tried to bite down on him, no doubt intent to rip his throat open. In grasping on the gauntlet and tearing at his left arm however its neck was left exposed to the sword in his right hand, and through the pain Thomas pushed himself forth and stabbed the sword through the beast's neck, ripping the blade down with another inhumane display of force.

The wolf's bite weakened and Thomas yanked his arm free, feeling the small rush of life-force rushing at him now that his foes were fallen. The gauntlet's gem glowed, absorbing a ball of light from each of the three smaller wolves, and stealing five of them at once from the larger grey wolf. The bite on his arm ached but he tried to disregard it, instead going through the grim task of chopping off each wolf's head to prepare to return to the farmers soon, but before that he eyed the cavern the wolves had protected.

Nearing it, he found himself facing two more wolves, growling angrily at him from the shadow of the cavern. The place looked ready for the pack to start having pups. Thankfully he didn't see any at least yet. While he was aware the wolves were a risk to the farmers now that they'd gotten used to attacking cattle, he wasn't entirely sure if he'd be ready to just kill a pup like he might kill a wolf. Thankfully he didn't need to learn that, at least yet.

Rising his hand and unleashing a stream of lightning he watched the two wolves yelping and trembling as the close space left them both vulnerable. He pushed his power on them until a moment later both wolves collapsed, the smoke and the smell of burnt flesh nauseating but at the same time the golden orbs floating towards his gauntlet gave him some comfort. Raising the gauntlet up he waited till they too were captured in the gemstone, feeling content.

Chopping off the remaining wolf heads, he briefly wondered how to carry them along, they didn't exactly fit into his gauntlet's gemstone like the gold or the life-force. Finally looking around and heading back a little way, he spotted an old cart which he dragged along back to the wolves lair from the fields, then dragging the cart back with him. That took a bit of time and effort, but at least it let him carry all the wolf heads along without having to bloody his outfit entirely. By then, his bleeding had stopped, his arm looking bruised where the wolf had bit but no wounds, no scars, just bruises like something had pummeled his arm hard rather than bit down into it.

Deciding to just be grateful for his success, he returned to the farms. Though the grateful shouts from the few workers at the farmstead should have made a hero smile, he mostly just felt tired after the long day, thinking back at how far away from the castle he was at the time. He barely noticed the man from earlier approaching him to offer him a pouch with the gold coins he had been promised, as they moved to set the severed wolf heads at the end of sharpened spikes near their fence.

Briefly wondering if he should ask for a bed to stay the night, Thomas grit his teeth together and shook his head annoyedly, turning instead to walk away. He had cleaned the blade earlier to the dead wolves fur, but he felt his hands were still bloodstained. He saw no blood on them but the feeling was there, he had killed a living being now, he had fought without ever really learning, just knowing how to do so. It had to be part of the changes to becoming an Overlord brought with it.

He still vastly preferred the use of magic, but he had to admit that up close the sword was an useful tool in discouraging any beasts from making a lunch out of him. The armor in the meanwhile was less useful, he would need to get himself a proper minion-made suit of armor soon, and set forth once more when he was first equipped to face the threats that would lay ahead.

"_So, I gathered ten life-force from those beasts, how much do I need to start shaping a hive?" _Thomas was fairly sure this wasn't enough yet, but he wanted to check for now, walking along the away from the farmlands, silently deciding to pause back at the town to rest and perhaps eat. _"Sire, the process of creating a minion hive requires a great bit of magic, stamina and a power of the Overlord's gauntlet behind it. The life-force itself is used to creating the minions, not to pay for the hive's creation. No amount of life-force would do that in itself, but the life-force used during the creation will affect the sort of minions that the hive will create. Of course, a lot depends on the master's wishes, his willpower, and the image he shapes with his mind."_

The long answer was a touch confusing to him in his tired state, but Thomas decided to just accept it as it was. He could create a hive and he had the life-force to create his first minions, but he wouldn't create a minion hive before he was back at the castle. Once he would be back there, he would begin and the minions would get their first orders. There was a lot that would have to be done about the place if he intended it to be the heart of his Domain.

Returning to the town of Riverwood Thomas found the guards had been changed, but seeming to be aware of who he was they allowed him passage to the town, saying something that he couldn't quite catch. He doubted it was important right now. Making his way to the inn Thomas cast a brief look to the still drinking, still boasting elf at the bar, before moving to wave over the bartender.

"I'd like a room for the night, a hearty meal to be brought up, and breakfast at dawn." He waited for a moment as the bartender snatched a key from the wall and held it out, another hand besides it palm open. "That'll be four gold then." Silently brushing his fingers over the gemstone of his gauntlet he retrieved the necessary gold to pay for the room and his meals, snatching up the key and heading towards the stairs.

"You'll see, tomorrow morning I'll march out and kill all the damn wolves! None can match my skill with a bow!" The elf boasted, earning a tired sigh from the Overlord Thomas. He was tempted to tell the elf his boasting and drinking had already cost him the opportunity to do that, but silently decided to hold his tongue. It wasn't worth it to call the attention to himself when he was tired, and perhaps the elf would learn something from the experience this way, making his way all the way to the farms to learn the problem had already been solved.

So as he opened the door to his room and stepped inside to take a look at the simple, rough bed as well as the table before a window view a view of the town from the second floor, Thomas finally rested back into the chair and allowed himself to think about how strange the day had been. Exhaustion from spellcasting, fighting wolves with a sword in his hand, twisting the minds of a few pathetic bandits, and dealing with the boasting of a drunken elf. That last one had to be the most damn tiresome thing about the day, he concluded quietly, while waiting for his meal.

OOOO OOOO OOOO OOOO

Alright, there's the third chapter and this took a little bit to get together, I had a few versions of the events in mind and was juggling them about trying to decide the way to go ahead. Hopefully the read is entertaining, and I'll return to this tale soon.

With a handful of life-force our Overlord shall soon be calling his first minions to his service, the work on restoring the castle shall begin, and we'll see just where Thomas' path will lead.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I do not own Overlord series, I only own my original characters and designs.

Chapter 04

Thomas awoke to the sound of laughter somewhere downstairs. It was muffled by the floorboards but loud enough to be heard even in the upstairs room in the otherwise calm morning. Slowly sitting up, he recalled the fight during the last day, and how his body had acted on its won. His body was gettnig more firm and muscled, his mind sharpening, the feeling of magic burning in him to be released also growing stronger. He was definitely changing, and the night's rest had allowed the effect to grow more apparent.

With a small sigh he got to his feet and dressed again, feeling refreshed after his slumber. He had expected to wake up hungry, but actually the feeling of magic coursing through him seemed to sustain him at the time being. He was fairly certain he could still eat and drink, just that the magic pouring into him was making it a choice rather than a necessity. Thomas briefly wondered if that was just part of the changes going through him now, or if it would be a permanent change. Either way, it did mean he could just head on out back towards the castle he would make into his stronghold.

Walking downstairs he saw no signs of the elf, the lad might have already left to go hunt for the wolves then or he might be upstairs sleeping as well. Thomas didn't really care, returning the key to the counter before making his way towards the town gates. He had a feeling he might stop by to ask the captain of the guard for the payment for the returned goods but it might not be ready just yet. Deciding to stop by later, he simply made his way out of the gates, beginning the walk back to the castle.

His sword at his side and the chain-shirt over his chest seemed to make him seem more like trouble than easy pickings for any possible bandits, allowing him to pass through the wooded hills unhindered, the dawn's light still warming his skin as he marched along. He wasn't paying too much attention to his surroundings, wondering about the changes he had gone through, and testing his stamina. He was marching at a brisk pace after all, and had been for close to an hour. He didn't see much sense in trying to run the whole way, but this brisk march wasn't tiring him out at all.

"_Ahh, sire I am pleased to see that you have taken up testing your new body slightly. Don't worry, your body's old limits have been lifted and your capabilities enhanced by magic, and they will continue to grow as you gain power. For now though, I am pleased to see we are on our way back to the Castle. Once you are there you can begin creating your first minions, as no self-respecting Overlord should have to march alone. You will see, the Minions can be of great aid, and help you begin."_

The thoughts from his 'advisor' were worth hearing out, but Thomas hummed briefly at the time and simply shrugged while marching along, looking at the tall hill in the distance, the castle's ruin standing atop it, overlooking the countryside. _Castle Highwatch_. Not particularily imaginative, he'd have to change it eventually, but it did describe what it was for. Watching the countryside near the two towns, and in the past it must have had the necessary forces to keep a fairly large area safe. With some work, it would do so again.

Regardless, he had to get to work, and rising his pace to a swift jog he began to rise up the rough path towards the hilltop, the road along the rough, steep side of the hill reminding him why he thought of the place more as a small mountain than as a proper hill. He had a feeling the place wasn't naturally formed, but created with the intent of making it hard to approach except by a twisting path that left any approaching group open to archers from the towers long before they would reach the castle's side.

Reaching the courtyard and looking around at the decrepit state of the castle walls and towers, Thomas could only sigh heavily at the thought of how much work this place would take to get in order. Still, it was better than building a lone tower that would have to house everything. He wanted to expand this place, build it up into a fortress, and to dig deeper as well, to lay the grounds for a grand dungeon that would serve as a fitting base for the future.

Given what he knew of the Overlord world from the old games, the 'Dark Tower' would allow him to eventually travel vast distances in mere moments given the use of magical portals, but to reach that point he would undoubtedly have to first gather the necessary power to fuel such arcane devices. For now, the gauntlet was changing and charging him, but he had a feeling that a lot of power was building up within him as well. Power meant to take over this world. That likely meant that for his counterpart there was a building power to burn this world to ruins as well. Domination and Destruction would waltz through this world, and if he wanted to live he would have to grasp this realm by its throat and declare it his.

"Alright, I am here and I have the lifeforce to begin crafting my minions. How do I do this?" Speaking seriously while looking around at the castle, there was a short pause before he could hear the familiar voice speaking to him again. Although he was fairly certain nobody else could, even if there was someone else around.

"_Shaping of minions is fairly complex but I'll help you out with it. You need to answer me a few questions as we got through this, and we'll get moving from there. First, do you want to make your minions beastly, monstrous, or near-human?"_ The question made him wonder, he had a feeling that the original minions would be considered 'monstrous', but if he had an option he knew what he would choose.

"Near-human. Definitely near-human." That would make it so much easier to calm the populace that his minions weren't that different from them. The original, goblin-like minions would be ideal for causing chaos and mayhem despite their small size, but near-human ones could give an aura of order and presence. That thought made him wonder what kind of minions his foe would create. Only time would tell.

"_Splendid, sire, that's a rather common choice actually. I imagine you want a whole amazonian all-female race to serve you in every capacity?" _The question actually had Thomas blushing, as he briefly considered it but found himself more embarrassed than amused. "Common choice? I guess that this kind of thing has happened before then?" He wondered mostly to himself, only to be met by an amused voice once more.

"_Oh yes sire, many promising young disciples have been taken in by the power of Overlord along the years, but many prove unable to control their power, and perish. Given the near infinite worlds, there is always room to expand though, and Evil will Always find a way."_ The way the voice replied had a small chill rise along his spine. There was such glee and sadistic amusement in it as it spoke about those 'disciples' there.

"Well, in anycase I don't think that an all-female race is a good idea. How about half and half, like humans generally are, half of them men and half of them women?" His words were met with some thought before there seemed to be a silent sigh he could hear in his mind. Apparently his advisor would have preferred the all-female option.

"_As you wish sire. Though you might wish to change that later on if you so choose. Now in the meanwhile, I need you to focus on the traits you wish your warriors will possess. Your first minions will be the ones that will follow you into battle, that will face the duty of fighting for you, so please consider the traits most important for that."_

Closing his eyes and focusing, Thomas let his mind wander. The elemental aspects rose to his mind swiftly enough, only to be replaced by the thoughts about the human races, wandering briefly. In his mind he saw the warriors of the vast savannah, the proud and fierce folks that fought to protect their own and to destroy their enemies. The people that would dare to take on lions with little more than bone daggers if need be. The people that would walk with him as his warriors. The ones with the strength and resilience of stone, and the loyal, unbreakable will that would recognise only him as their superior.

As he was focused, a golden glow in the gauntlet emerged, his hand raised by the metal as magic gathered around him, and he could feel the throb of energy around him. Opening his eyes, he felt the magic waited to be given a chance to take form. Walking into the castle's ruined throne room, he lay his hand against the floor while kneeling, whispering something he didn't quite understand, a language both arcane and ancient, something that came from the knowledge the gauntlet carried.

"_Rise, my Warriors, awaken the sons of stone, daughters of steel. Hear my call and let the Hyperborean spirit take shape. Hear my call and answer, my Minions!"_

The glow in the ground began to settle into a circle with warding symbols floating around it just above the stone, the lines within the circle forming the eight-pointed star. As the magic danced through those lines, a materialization began. Black crystal began to arise , with magic building within as it seemed to grow. The fatigue began to build within him, but he knew it was not physical exhaustion as much as magical. He was spending what energy he had to fuel the materialization process, and without the gauntlet's aid it would have not been even a fraction of what he needed. The fact remained that through the gauntlet's power this was possible, something that only went to prove to him just how insane the power of the gauntlets could be, even if in very restricted uses.

As the glow died out, he saw the black crystal brimming with a faint light seeming to turn some parts of its surface to ashen gray rather than pure black in brief passing, before a reflection showed his face. Silently resting his hand against the crystal, he poured the life-force within its confines, the newly created minion hive seeming to pulse with the given life-force and then begin to reshape it.

The eerie glow grew nearly white, dancing along the crystal alighting runes in the black material to bright crimson for a moment, before the transparent shape of a warrior began to take shape, and then another, and another. The ten life force he had harvested from those wolves was now reshaped into the core of these beings, his first minions.

As the glow began to dim, he could see the transparent figures solidify, and though his eyes still felt blurred by the shine he could see the figures kneel before him, recognizing his strength and the fact they would not be without him. The loyalty instilled by both the gauntlet's magic and the faith they held in their creator. As his eyes slowly began to recover, he saw he was looking at a group of ten dark-skinned warriors, five of them men and five of them women. Their skin colour reminded him of dark chocolate, their towering height and the muscles showing in their arms reminding him of their strength.

"How can we serve?" The first voice to spoke belonged to the woman directly before him. Black, silken hair reached down the middle of her back, her head kept low and right hand clenched in a fist she held to the ground while leaning ahead in that kneeling bow. She would undoubtedly stand a fair bit taller than him once she'd rise up, but even then he did not feel intimidated, as he could feel the sincere loyalty.

"Stand by my side, and help me unite this land. I need your strength and bravery to conquer this world, and add it to my dark domain. Storm approaches, and those who don't stand together, will die divided."

He spoke with convinction, knowing the other Overlord was out there and would bring this world to destruction if he didn't lay down his own claim of domination first. In his eyes being meek and unable to fight would only get him killed and cause the death of all those that lived in these lands. Thomas wasn't sure he could bring peace by waging war, but he could at least take lands in his protection against the raging madness of the usurper, the false heir to the throne.

Somehow the way his words were shaping was disturbing him, and at the same time he considered it another adaption he would need. He would have to change, in body and mind, in outlook and morals, to be able to survive this test. Thomas would have to allow the part of him that lived a peaceful life to die, and the part that would rule as an unquestioned emperor to be reborn from those ashes.

"We swear our oath to serve you, Overlord. I am Ruska, the firstborn of the Clan." The warrior woman spoke seriously as she stepped closer, and he found himself leaning his head back slightly to keep looking at her face. She was a tall woman, and a powerful woman at that, with long flowing black hair surrounding the chocolate shaded face, and the shade of darkest earth within those strong eyes, their gaze on him piercing and unrelenting. Even if she was a minion, she was born a leader, and he knew this instinctively.

"Then you will be my General, and second in command. All that will follow me shall answer to you, and together we shall lay our claim upon this land." He smiled, offering her his hand. She looked at it and him curiously, but took the hand and shook it firmly. The grasp she had would have crushed his fingers if he was still as weak as he had been, but ever since the fight with the wolves he felt his body was getting far stronger. He had a feeling that if Ruska could have fought several armed and trained men and won, then when he was done changing he would surpass even that. The powers in the Gauntlet were frightening, yet oh so tempting.

"Very well. Right now, I don't have a proper tower to call my home, but I have made this castle my base for the moment. See if you and your clan can clear out some room and live comfortably here for the time being, I will need to hunt and help your numbers grow." As he was still speaking she reached ahead and grasped on his shoulder, a firm look on her face. He briefly hoped she didn't take offense at his words, and the fact he had little to offer them.

"You are the Overlord, we are your minions. We shall do what we can to clear the surroundings, we shall hunt for food, and in time we will begin rebuilding this place. The Clan is not just warriors, we are proud people and we can rebuild this place, though I think in time it would be wise to simply replace it." She spoke seriously, and sincerely. There was no real malice to it, she made the offer openly and advised him as she should.

Sighing heavily as he came to realize just how much he would have to rely on others since he was still changing, Thomas nod his head knowing her idea was for the best. Ruska turned to give some orders, leaving the other four women to work on clearing some room in the castle along with two of the men, as she and the remaining three men headed out to hunt. Looking over the people, Thomas could tell that they owned little, cloaking their form in leather and fur, but they were not complaining, just working hard. Each one carried a sling at her side, along with a wooden club. Not exactly impressive weapons, but these were what they got as freshly spawned minions.

He silently decided to see about arming them with at least spears as soon as he could, probably bows and arrows as well. Swords would have to wait, the price to acquire that many blades would be prohibitative until he could acquire a source of wealth to support such pursuits. Still, as he sat down on a large boulder in the courtyard and thought Thomas could feel the gauntlet throbbing with power.

Instinctively he closed his eyes and focused on it, hearing Ruska's voice. "-me chief? There's some bandits attacking a caravan not far from here. More than there are of us, but they seem like thugs not warriors. Chief?"

Thomas considered the matter and grimaced. He didn't want to expose himself so soon, especially his minions, and they were different enough that the folks here would be curious. Yet he couldn't just leave the caravan to die. Sighing heavily he focused on sending an answer, whispered words that reached his General's ear despite the distance, a gift of the gauntlet.

"_Attack them but fight defensively, I will send the others and join them in the rush there. Keep the bandits back and we shall join. If any of them are stupid enough to charge you though feel free to kill them." _A grim thought occured to him and he decided to add something more to his wind-whispered words for her. _"If their death releases life-force then try and grasp and preserve it so that I may add people to the Clan afterwards."_

Whistling loudly to get the attention of his other minions, Thomas gestured for them to follow. The warriors seemed to instinctively know what he had in mind, but he chose to clarify still. "Someone's attacking a caravan nearby, and Ruska is moving to help them. We're going to go as well, and destroy any that dare to stand in our way. Leave none of the thugs alive." There were a few grim, solemn nods among the people there, none of them would hesitate to kill those who would attack members of the clan.

As Thomas lead his forces down the hill in a rushed step he felt no fatigue, his body's steps carrying him at a small rush downhill, the folks behind him running at a similar seemingly tireless pace. What a frightening force they would become, he mused to himself quietly. Yet he would not turn their strength upon civilians, he would see to it that when they fought they struck down enemy soldiers without mercy, but they would not cause misery to those who didn't choose to grasp a weapon and fight them. So the attack on the caravan annoyed Thomas and left him ready to claim human lives to add to his minions life-force. The bandits had just declared themselves as beings that should be harvested.

Once they reached the road he could see smoke-pillar down the road to the direction he had not previously explored. Leading his forces that way to where he felt Ruska and others were, he saw at least ten bandits fighting with Ruska and her men, the bloody bodies near the wagons telling him enough of how the fight had been going that far. He saw several others seeking cover behind the wagons, a couple of them holding bows but too afraid to use them it seemed.

"Forward my Brothers, We shall Know NO FEAR!" His voice rose and with it a surge of power rushed through his minions. It was instinctive use again, but he could feel his magic depleting a fair bit, yet the crimson glow in his minions eyes told him enough. The blood curling warcries rising to the air might have made a few bandits soil themselves as they suddenly found themselves under attack by these strangers.

Thomas watched with a wicked grin on his face as the bandit he was facing tried to frightenedly strike at him with a longsword, only to have Thomas slash across the bandit's body with force, the blood splattering the ground and the look of shock and pain on the bandits face forever burnt to his mind. He had killed a human being the first time, albeit a murderous bastard of a bandit. He knew he should feel shocked, perhaps even disgusted with himself for it, but at the same time, Thomas knew he would have to kill many more before his journey was over.

The frightening thing was he didn't feel bad at all, the moment he decided these people were pests that would just prey on other people he had shed any empahty he might have against the bandits. So as he and his Clan fought, the caravan's survivors could only watch in shock and horror as the bandit ambush was turned into a bloody slaughter.

By the end, only their saviors stood alive, some of them showing arrows still stuck in their arms, legs or sides, but none of them had fallen. Several clubs showed blood dripping on them, and the man that stood before them was wiping a bastard sword clean of blood into a dead bandit's scarf before turning to look upon the survivors.

OOOO OOOO OOOO OOOO

Alright, 4th chapter is here. I will be working on my Zerg story chapter(s) next. I have a lot of wild little ideas and I gather some of them together for thought here on FF as well, but they're just ideas, maybe 1 chapter's worth of text per idea, I will not focus on them more for now. I am thinking of adding a Syndicate, and a Dungeon Keeper idea to the other thread eventually, for thoughts.

I won't pick up any additional 'full' stories though, I have a handful with Swarm Patriarch, Overlord War for the Gauntlet, and XCOM Broken Mirror.

On that note, I asked a friend of mine that does beautiful artwork to make an image out of the Overlord and his four Minion Leaders. I might consider sharing a link to the image once its ready, but the said image request is at discussions and scetching phase anyhow so it won't be here for a while. I am not sure still, the image is mainly for my own inspiration anyhow, so we'll see.

(On another note, it would also contain spoilers, such as what each of the Minion Leaders will be like)


End file.
